Debbie Allen has described her experience as a guest star on Grey's Anatomy as "a joy".

The director and actress, who joined the ABC medical drama as Dr. Avery earlier this season, said that she has enjoyed her time both in front of and behind the camera as the Grey's Anatomy set maintains a great atmosphere.

"It's great. I have such a good time on set. As a director, I've always had a good time. There are a lot of different personalities to manage, but it's the director's task to manage people and get your vision on film and that's something I've been honing for many years," Allen told Parade.

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"The first day on set, Patrick Dempsey saw me and he jumped out and started jumping around and kicking his legs and starting singing 'Fame'.There's a lot of family going on there. A lot of them are really best friends in real life. It's just a family over there. They've been together for so many years. It's a show that you can't really see the end of because of the writing."

Asked what it's been like playing a character like Dr. Avery, Allen responded: "That's been quite a joy. This is my third year directing and now I'm in front of the camera. This was really quite an unexpected and wonderful surprise to be asked to play Dr. Avery.

"And to do a kind of groundbreaking surgery on the show - the first penile transplant - was so dynamic and so much fun."